What is a Robot and why Should Kids Learn to Program One?

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “robot”? Is it a humanoid figure with near-human intelligence that can carry out human-like tasks? Is it an assembly machine in a production line? A space rover? And how can you help your kids learn how to program a robot if you’ve never tried it? Read on to find out!

Find the perfect LEGO® robot toy for kids ages 7+

Whether your child has never built a robot before or already has a regiment of droids working for them, you can find the perfect set here.

Who likes to play with robot toys and building kits?

LEGO® robot building toys are the perfect gift for boys and girls of all ages. Even if it seems like your child doesn’t have an obvious interest in coding, their curiosity will almost certainly be sparked once they get the chance to build a robot of their own.

Nearly any hobby or interest your child loves to engage in can act as relevant entry points to robotics and programming. Whether it’s kittens, music, remote-controlled cars, science fiction gadgets, or they generally just enjoy taking things apart to find out how they work and put them back together, your child can be inspired to create a robot that reflects their unique personality and interests, with speech, songs, sounds, lights, movements and interactions.

Five Walking, Playing, Driving, Building, and Meowing Robots in one!

The LEGO® BOOST Creative Toolbox is a fun and colorful 5 in 1 robot programming toy set. From beginners to experts, kids ages 7-12 can build and program their own personal talking, interactive robot friend, Vernie, a cool M.T.R.4 (Multi-Tooled Rover 4), the hit making Guitar4000, Frankie the Cat or the AutoBuilder building line.

LEGO® BOOST Frankie the Cat

Frankie from LEGO® BOOST is a purring, harmonica-playing cyber-cat that loves fish bones and his milk bottle. He wriggles, he complains, and he just LOVES being stroked. Just don’t pick him up by the tail!

LEGO® BOOST The AutoBuilder

LEGO® BOOST The Guitar4000

With the LEGO® BOOST Guitar4000, you kid can become a true guitar hero by building this fully-functional interactive musical instrument! Code the sensor to trigger sound effects, and use the built-in whammy bar to bend notes to your will! Rock on and build more!

LEGO® BOOST The M.T.R.4

The LEGO® BOOST Multi-Tooled Rover, or M.T.R.4 for short, is at your command and ready for whatever challenge you’re willing to throw at it. Go for a drive, and make it move and do tasks using the LEGO BOOST app!

LEGO® BOOST Vernie the Robot

Vernie from LEGO® BOOST is a talking, driving and dancing robot at your service. He can sense color, motion and distance as well as defend your room with his spring-loaded shooter! Just don’t pull his finger, even if he asks you to.

What can you build with LEGO® robots – and how?

Anything you can imagine. With LEGO® robots, your child will quickly learn how coding skills are used in robotics and how to incorporate these skills in their own robots, machines and designs. The programming software is super easy to use. Simply drag and drop intuitive icons and coding blocks to add movement, functions, timing, and interactions into a chain, press “play”, and see what happens. That’s all it takes to make your child a coding ninja in no time.

If your child is not ready to start building robot chickens or dinosaurs to take over the world, they can start with the easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that come with all LEGO robots. With the LEGO BOOST set you get instructions for five very different toy robots with their own unique functions, purposes, and personalities. LEGO MINDSTORMS gives your child no less than 17 different robots to choose from!

17 Cool Robotics Projects in one set - for Beginners to Advanced

For kids ages 10+, the LEGO MINDSTORMS is the perfect set to test how coding skills are used in robotics of almost any category. From humanoid robots, games, printers, dozers and trucks to bionic reptiles, creatures and critters, MINDSTORMS robots can be programmed to perform simple to highly advanced functions.

Arctic Scout Truck

LEGO® BOOST 17101 Creative Toolbox brings the LEGO City 60194 Arctic Scout Truck to life, injecting it with real working functions. Using the gridded playmat included in the BOOST set, along with the free LEGO BOOST app, kids can make their vehicle fully interactive. They can program it to control the forklift, examine samples with the color sensor, and much more – just like the real thing!

Stormbringer the Lightning Dragon

LEGO® BOOST 17101 Creative Toolbox brings LEGO NINJAGO® 70652 Stormbringer the Lightning Dragon to life in a truly spectacular way. Combine the two and use the free LEGO BOOST app to create a fully interactive dragon with programmable shooters, a color-sensing ejector seat, a formidable roar, and much more!

Some of the most popular LEGO robots are LEGO BOOST for girls and boys ages 7-12 and LEGO MINDSTORMS for ages 10+. Both are sets kids can start building regardless of their skill level and they can continue building loooong into adulthood. After all, you don’t stop playing because you get older, you get old because you stop playing! So what do you get with each of these sets?

LEGO® BOOST – Beginners to Advanced – Voted Tech Toy of the Year 2018

With the bright and colorful LEGO® BOOST Creative Toolbox set your child gets the bricks, elements and building instructions for five different robots: a cat, a guitar, a truck, a mini-robot maker, and a droid-like robot named Vernie (who may fart if you don’t watch him). In the free programming app, you’ll find even more instructions for framework models to let your child design and build their own robot vehicles, animals, creatures and anything else they can imagine. The coding blocks in the programming app work for every model. The app also includes funny, head-scratching, and playful programming challenges for 1, 2 or more participants to inspire creative thinking and problem-solving through play. Kids can even BOOST other LEGO models like LEGO NINJAGO® 70652 Stormbringer or LEGO City 60194 Arctic Scout Truck.

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® – Beginners to Advanced

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® is a popular programmable robot kit for kids ages 10+, with 17 different robots to build and learn about coding. Just like the LEGO BOOST robots, MINDSTORMS robots are programmed and controlled with a free software programming app with drag-and-drop coding blocks. You can find lots of tutorial videos on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website and in the app to guide you through the basics. With 601 LEGO Technic™ elements, 3 motors, infrared, color and touch sensors, and a global, online community, your child will have all the tools to create any design they can think of, find and solve fun challenges and learn from and inspire others with the power of coding!

How to Learn Robot Programming for Younger Kids – 7-12

Even though LEGO BOOST is designed for kids ages 7-12, these robots will charm even the most coding-skeptic grown-ups, too. (We’ve tested!) If you have never tried programming before, you and your child can learn together in no time. As your skills improve, you can keep finding new ideas and challenges. Find out how to get started here

How to Learn Robot Programming for Older Kids – 10+

How do you even get started programming one, let alone 17 robots? With the MINDSTORMS set, kids ages 10+ and adults can literally learn one coding block at a time. Step by step, they’ll crack the code and discover there are no limits to how it can be used. With video instructions, intuitive software, and a worldwide community, you can find help anytime. Go here